Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Dimensions ❯ Depression ( Chapter 9 )

Here's Chapter Nine!! Please R&R!!

 

I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho... just Chantelle.

 

*****

 

Chantelle was suddenly aware that someone was knocking on her door. She blearily opened her eyes and was wide awake in an instant upon seeing the unfamiliar surroundings before the events of the day before flashed through her mind. She almost felt like screaming and crying again, but gritted her teeth and blinked rapidly to hold the tears at bay. When the knock came again, she quickly cleared her throat.

“Come in....” she said, her voice sounding a little strained, despite her best efforts.

A pretty young woman with blue hair came in, dressed in a kimono. She smiled at Chantelle pleasantly. “Well, good morning! Did you sleep well last night, Chantelle?”

She blinked. “Um... I guess... considering my circumstances... yeah...”

The woman smiled wider. “That's great to hear! My name is Botan, the Ferry Woman to the Otherworld. You would probably know me better as being known as the Grim Reaper... or did you even have Grim Reapers in your dimension?”

She blinked slowly again and nodded. This woman was a grim reaper? Seemed a little too chiper for someone who hung out with dead people all the time.

“Well, Koenma asked me to bring you on a tour of the palace this morning... after you've gotten cleaned up and dressed, of course.” She handed her a bundle of clothing. “These should fit you perfectly. After you've had your tour, we can grab a bite to eat for breakfast, how does that sound?”

Chantelle was a little at a loss, so she just nodded silently and slowly accepted the prooffered clothes. She wasn't in much of a smiling mood this morning, and the fact that this woman seemed to be able to smile so easily actually irked her a little.

Botan seemed to be completely oblivious to her discomfort. “Well, let's get a move on, then! I'll show you to the washroom, and then we can get that tour underway! Just follow me!”

Chantelle climbed out of the bed a little dumbfounded. She actually would have preferred to spend her morning alone, but she wasn't about to point that out. Just because she was feeling shitty as all hell this morning didn't mean she had to dump it on someone else just because they were happy.

She was led to a large lavish bathroom with a tub that could be best described as being a small pool or hot tub, filled with potpouri and fragrant incense, as well as lotions and body cleansers. Botan left her in private where she stripped and climbed into the already filled tub. The bath didn't do much to make her feel better... just cleaner and a little more fragrant. She toweled off with the large fluffy towels, thinking she now knew how the Queen of England felt when she woke up every morning... only without the depression.

She then took the time to examine the clothes that Botan had given her and fought off a frown when she saw a light blue kimono... basically a dress. She looked at her old clothes... which were dirty and torn in a half dozen places and sighed. Well, there was no helping it. She didn't like dresses, but right now she had no right to complain. She quickly got dressed and then stepped out of the washroom to find Botan was waiting for her.

“You all set for that tour now?” she asked as cheery as ever. Before Chantelle could even think of a response, the girl had started the other way and continued on chatting. Shaking her head a little dubiously, she suppressed a sigh and followed.

She tried to pay attention to what Botan was saying, but she couldn't really focus. It wasn't like she'd actually remember everything the girl was saying anyway. The palace was absolutely huge. She was shown several dining halls, offices (including Koenma's, where the infant was busily looking through stacks of paper and stamping them, looking rather irritated at his workload.), banquet halls and lobbies. Then the reaper led Chantelle outside the palace and into the courtyard... which was absolutely beautiful, filled with gardens and carefully trimmed trees, and some beautiful clear water pools. Even seeing all this couldn't bring a smile to her face though.

“Chantelle?” Botan said loudly.

She blinked and looked at the girl. “Yeah?”

“We're finished the tour... I just asked if you'd like something to eat now.”

She hesitated and then slowly shook her head. “I... don't think I'm really hungry right now...”

Botan looked at her in some concern, the smile leaving her face for the first time. “You should try to eat something. You need to keep your strength up. Besides, the food served here is the best you'll ever come across!”

Chantelle sighed, not bothering to try suppressing it. “I guess...”

She smiled broadly and took her by the hand. “Great! Just follow me!”

She was led to a dining hall, the table filled with food from one end to the other. There was one place set for her, and she couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. I sure as hell hope she doesn't expect me to eat all of that... she thought.

Chantelle just took some of the stuff that she thought looked good... which more or less, she was familiar with, and then sat herself down and tried to eat. She took a few nibbles. Although she was sure the food must be absolutely delicious, she found she wasn't able to taste it. Her stomach felt more knotted than anything else and she just couldn't get down more than those few nibbles that she had had. She sighed inwardly. Where was a dog when you needed one?

Finally, after trying unsuccessfully for a few moments, she put down her fork with a sigh. “I'm sorry, but I just can't eat.” she said quietly, not looking up.

If she had cared to look up, she would have seen Botan's expression turn very concerned. “Oh... well, in that case, would you like me to bring you back to your room?”

She nodded. “Please.”

So Botan led Chantelle through the halls once more and they both entered her room. This time, however, there were several stacks of books on the table... thick books.

Botan smiled once more. “Oh, it looks like Koenma sent you some books on the history of Earth in this dimension! I guess you'll have something to do to pass the time!” Then she turned happily to her still expressionless companion. “Is there anything you'd like before I go?”

Chantelle just shook her head.

Botan's expression turned a little concerned again. “Oh... alright, I'll just leave you be, then. If you need anything, don't hesitate to call. Just ask anyone outside your room and they'll get you whatever you might need. Okay?”

She nodded.

“All right... I'll see you later then!” Then she was gone.

Chantelle stood where she was a few moments and then slowly made her way over to the table. She selected a book at random and settled down on her newly made bed and tried to read.

 

*****

 

In the throne room moments later, Botan was reporting to Koenma and to seven of the Spirit Detectives how the tour had gone.

Needless to say, she was very concerned.

“She hardly touched her food, barely said a word, and I never saw her smile once! It was like she was walking around in a complete daze.”

Yusuke had his hands behind his head. “What do you expect? She just lost everything and everyone she knew, Botan. Of course she's going to be a little depressed for a while.”

The girl looked at him. “A little? I've seen DEAD people more exuberant than she was! I don't think she even heard half of what I said!”

Jin sighed. “We'll just have to pay her a visit then. We're the ones she knows best around here, and I think that's what she'll need. Familiarity.”

Kuwabara looked around. “Hey... where's Kurama? Shouldn't he be here too?”

Hiei crossed his arms. “He's blaming himself for what happened to her. He's decided it would be best if she not come into contact with him.”

Chu blinked. “That's weird... I thought she liked him the best out of all of us, from the way they were always hanging around and talking.”

Hiei shrugged. “That may be, but keep in mind that he WAS the one who killed Bonkotsu. He thinks because of that that she'll blame him for what happened. For her being stuck here.”

Koenma sighed. “Just do what you can to make her feel better. There's not much else that we can do. I'll have to drop in on her myself later to ask her a few questions to help us integrate her into society. We can't just throw her out there without the proper identification... and it's only fair to find out how much money she had in the first place so we can replace it.”

Jin grinned. “Well, that's one that'll have you shitting green apples... she had over ten million dollars to her name.”

The baby almost fell out of his throne. “TEN MILLION?! At HER age?”

Kuwabara nodded. “Yup. She said she inherited it from her great aunt or something like that. She was spending it on us left and right.”

Koenma sighed. “All right... I guess it's only fair. I'll make the proper arrangements in that end in a few days. There's no rush. After all, she still needs time to properly adjust.” He turned to George. “Did you send those books to her room?”

He nodded. “Yup. I set them right on her table.”

 

*****

 

Yusuke and the others went to visit with her shortly after Koenma sent them on their way. The girl was only able to get the scant trace of a smile on her face when she saw them and they started with their usual antics.

That all stopped when she asked a question that had been weighing on her mind.

“Where's Kurama? I haven't seem him since I got here.”

All antics and laughter stopped, and several wary looks were exchanged.

Her eyes went huge. “Oh, GOD! Don't tell me that he....”

Jin was there in an instant. “Oh, no, no, no!!! He's perfectly fine. It's just that... well... Now how do I say this?”

Never one to use tact, Hiei was the one who told her. “He was the one who killed Bonkotsu, and he's blaming himself for your being trapped here. He seems to think that it would be best if he didn't have contact with you.”

The second the words were out of his mouth, Kuwabara smacked the fire demon upside the head, his expression livid. “COULD YOU TRY USING SOME TACT, YOU FUCKING IDIOT?!”

Hiei gritted his teeth together as he resisted the urge to run the human through with his sword. “If you can think of an easier way to tell her, then you should have done so.”

Chantelle's expression turned a little downcast. “Oh... I see...”

It wasn't knowing that Kurama had been the one to kill Bonkotsu that bothered her. It was the fact that Kurama was feeling very guilty for her being stuck here now, and because of that guilt, he felt it would be best if he didn't see her. Which really bothered her because of all the guys... she wanted to see HIM the most.

Seeing her downcast expression, Jin smiled at her. “Don't you worry. All of us are here for you. Maybe even that knuckle head will come to his senses and come visit you himself eventually.”

She managed a weak smile that probably looked as fake as it felt. “Thanks.”

Deciding it would be best to drop the subject of Kurama for now, and barring any further discussion concerning the girl's own dimension, lest it bring on another crying fit, Yusuke offered to help her learn the history of their world.

Kuwabara rolled his eyes immediately. “YOU? Teach someone? You're average in school was only thirty two percent!!”

Yusuke rolled his eyes in turn. “Oh, and I suppose you did better? I've heard lots of stories about YOU, Kazu! You're grades were worse than mine!!”

The two boys blinked and looked at the other demons present in the room.

Rinku snorted. “Don't look at me. I'm not interested in human history. Believe me, the history of the demon plane is hard enough to keep up with.”

Chu nodded. “Ditto here.”

Hiei shrugged. “I've never had much interest in humans until recently, and even then it's only passing. I don't even know who the hell the president of the United States is.”

Toya shook his head. “I've got no clue about anything to do with humans.... other than the fact that they can produce beautiful women...”

Jin grinned and rubbed the back of his head. “That's about as far as my own expertise goes as well, I'm afraid...”

Yusuke shrugged. “I guess I'll have to ask Keiko. She was a straight A student.”

Chantelle didn't know how she felt about being tutored by a girl she didn't even know. Not to mention she preferred to study alone. But she also realized that they were just trying to be nice and so nodded silently.

They decided to leave her be shortly after that, and so she delved back into her book. Nothing was really sticking, and she found she couldn't focus at all. They were just meaningless words on a page. She felt, she realized in that instant... completely numb.

Finally, after trying for a good three hours to study with no success, she closed the book with a sigh and just stared at nothing. She tried not to think at all, because all thinking would lead up to would be memories that would lead to another crying spell.

Looking out the window that led to her balcony, she was surprised to see that it was dark now. She had no idea what time it was... or if they even counted time the same as she was used to. This wasn't Earth, after all. It was... the Spirit World.... Otherworld. One of three worlds in this dimension. Earth... the Spirit World, and the Demon World. Way different from what she was used to... back on her own boring world...

She stopped her train of thought immediately when an image of her family flashed through her mind once more. She stomped down the oncoming tears she felt coming at that brief memory and took in several deep breaths. There was no point in crying. It wouldn't solve anything. Besides that, the only time she liked to cry was if someone was with her to hold her.

Chantelle turned off the lights to her room and laid down on her bed, pulling the covers up. Then a new image came into her mind... one of Kurama... or Suichi Minamino. Whichever he preferred. His long red hair, gentle green eyes, that sweet heart melting smile he had always given her. She remembered the time she had first met him, the way he had held her hand to reassure her that she would not be harmed. The way he always sent a thanking smile and kind words her way whenever she had done something for them in her world. She remembered the way he had repaired the garden, so very graciously and humbly. The way he had very gently released that mouse that had almost caused her to break her neck... the way he had held her in his arms, and that incredibly sexy smirk he had gotten when he had told her of Youko Kurama. Then she remembered her ex and the expression he had worn then... first the one of concern after Matt's grip had been torn from her, then the quiet rage he had had when he sent him on his way. Then there was the tornado when it had struck. He had grabbed her and used his vines to shield her from the hail and held her close to him, even after the incident was over... until SHE was feeling fine enough to pull away.

She sighed heavily as she rolled onto her side. It wasn't his fault that she was here. Bonkotsu had been the one to open the damn portal. She had just been pulled into it. If he hadn't killed Bonkotsu when he had... who knows what he could have used his powers to accomplish? It had been his job to kill him... to keep him from bringing harm to other people. If the only loss in that end was that she had lost her own world, then it was most certainly something she could live with. Besides, what the hell was he going to do if he HAD noticed she was there and he HAD let Bonkotsu live? Force him to open a portal for her? Toss her in and hope that it led to her home?

She frowned lightly. It wasn't Kurama's fault... and she didn't blame him for a thing. She just hoped he realized that so she could have him hold her again.

She blinked then, turning red as that thought entered her mind. How could she think like that about a guy she hardly even knew? But... in the short time that she got to know him... he displayed so many wonderful qualities that she had never seen in any guy before... utmost respect for one... something that she had been very greatly relieved to see with all of them. Sure, they flirted a little, but none of them pushed the issues... except for that one time with Hiei up by the oil well, but that was the exception rather than the rule. If he was a fire demon, from what she read about elemental correspondences, it did make sense. Besides, he had admitted that he had no interest in a long term relationship, and they had both left it at that.

Before she could continue that train of thought, she heard another knock on her door.

She sat up with a sigh. “Come in.”

The door opened and Koenma entered the room in his adult form, pacifier still in mouth. He blinked, seeing the lights were off and that she was in bed. “I'm sorry, did I wake you?”

She shook her head with a sigh. “Not even close. Come on in.” she said, getting out from under the covers to sit on the edge of her bed.

He nodded, entering the rest of the way and closing the door behind him. Then he turned on the lights in her room and approached her. “I'm sorry for visiting you at such a late hour, but I have been positively swamped with work lately and I couldn't come any sooner...”

Chantelle waved it off. “You don't need to apologize. Like I said, I wasn't even sleeping.” Then she looked at him as he approached. “So, what can I do for you?”

He produced a pad of paper and a pen. “I know this is going to be difficult for you, but I need some information to help us to integrate you into society on Earth. The sooner I get this information, the better. For identification, and so we can give you a history. It wouldn't do for you to just appear out of nowhere, after all...”

She looked up at him. “What kind of... information?”

He took in a deep breath. “Personal information... including some information regarding your... family... birthplace... full name, things like that...”

She took in a deep breath. “Oh.... okay.”

Koenma sighed as he took a seat next to her on the bed. He looked at her. “I'll try to make this brief. I know this must be hard for you.” He looked at the questions on the clipboard. “Your full name?”

“Chantelle Grace Hooper.”

He nodded and jotted it down. “Age?”

“22.”

“Date of birth?”

“December 22, 1984.”

“Marital Status would be single?”

She nodded.

“Place of birth?”

“Royal Alexandria Hospital in St. Albert, Alberta, Canada.” She took a glance up at him for the first time since he started his questionnaire, and then did a double take, her hand going up to her mouth to stop a startled giggle from bursting forth.

He blinked and looked at her. “What is it?”

She was struggling to keep her composure. “Um... it's just that... um... your head... it um... doesn't really... match... the rest of you.... that is....”

Koenma blinked and then glanced in the mirror, seeing his infant head on his adult body. “Oh, for the love of...!!” He concentrated for a moment and his adult head was back on his body. “I have to concentrate to keep this form and it sometimes....”

She sighed heavily and looked at him. “Look... if you're more comfortable in your... regular form, it's okay. It just took me by surprise earlier, is all.”

He sighed in relief and reverted to his natural form in a small puff of smoke. “Thank you... this is much better. Now then... let's continue.” He looked at the form. “Your parents names?”

The smile that had been on her face seconds before was gone in an instant and her gaze turned downcast. She felt a sharp pain in her chest as she gave him the full name of both of her parents. “My fathers full name was Paul Emile Hooper. My mother's full name was Patricia Joanne Hooper... former surname Hunt.” She said this quietly, and couldn't bring herself to look at him. She tried to keep the image of her parents out of her mind as she said their names, but they came despite her best efforts. She had to struggle to keep her throat from constricting.

There was a long moment of silence before she felt an adult hand gently take her own. She looked up in surprise and saw Koenma looking at her, even his pacifier gone... probably placed somewhere inside his robes.

“I'm okay, Koenma. I know you're not comfortable like that so...”

He shook his head, his expression filled with sympathy. “I can't comfort someone effectively in my true form. I have a great fondness for humans, and I hate to see one suffer, either emotionally or physically. If I am in a position where I can help them, then I do. And I'm in a position where I can help you right now.” He set the clipboard aside and gently pulled her into a hug.

She gripped the front of his robes, feeling weird, not even sure what it was that was holding her. He looked human, but knowing his position and seeing only a small piece of his ability totally undermined that appearance. But he was warm and held her securely as he let her cry. When she finally calmed down enough to pull away she sighed and looked down.

“God, I feel pathetic...”

He shook his head. “You have every reason to cry. There's nothing pathetic about needing someone to comfort you when you've gone through such a terrible loss. I don't want you to start putting yourself down, because that can only lead to bad things. Just try to face what's coming and if you have a need to cry, then do it. There's no shame in grieving for a loss.”

She nodded silently.

Koenma looked at the clipboard. “If you like, I could just come visit you some time tomorrow and we could continue this then...”

She shook her head. “No. It's best to get it over with now.”

He hesitated, and then nodded. “Alright.” he reverted back to his infant form and they continued. Chantelle put on a steely countenance as she answered his questions. When he was finished, he took up the clipboard and looked at her. “I will get you to sleep and then let myself out. You're going to need plenty of rest.”

She nodded silently and then blinked. “You can... get me to sleep?”

He nodded. “Yes. It's an easy procedure. You just need to lie down and I'll do the rest. It won't hurt in the slightest. In fact, I'm told it's actually a soothing experience.”

Chantelle blinked, a little at a loss for a moment. She felt weird being lulled to sleep by someone who looked like an infant, but she just kept telling herself that she wasn't in her dimension anymore. She layed down on the bed and the infant floated up to her head, placing one of his hands at her temple. Chantelle felt a warmth flush throughout her mind and body, which was followed by a wonderful head swimming sensation, before the world around her spun away and she was lost in sleep.

Koenma looked at the girl for a long moment before he sighed and turned off the lights. He cast one last look back at the girl before he opened the door and let himself out of her room.

 

*****

 

Please R&R everyone!! I really want to know what you think!!! ^_^